This invention relates generally to beverage dispensers and to beverage dispensing stands or servers on which one or more portable beverage dispensing containers are placed, and more particularly to indicators on beverage stands for indicating the quantity of beverage remaining in a beverage container.
A popular type of beverage dispenser, particularly used for hot, brewed beverages such as coffee or tea, is known as an "airpot." Its popularity derives, in part, from its excellent heat retention, which permits coffee or other hot beverages to be brewed well in advance of serving. Partly because of its popularity, devices such as beverage dispensing stands have been developed specifically for use with airpot-type coffee dispensers. An example of such a beverage dispensing stand is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,872, issued to Boyd Coffee Company, assignee of the present invention.
Airpots dispense beverages through a pump device which is operated by pressing downwardly on a handle or lever located on top of the container. By pressing down on the lever, a beverage patron pumps the beverage from inside the container into a cup or other server positioned below the container's spout. Airpot-type beverage containers are popular among coffee and other brewed-beverage serving establishments in part because customers cannot see the quantity of beverage remaining in an airpot. The reason this is an advantage when dispensing coffee is that, given a choice, a patron will usually take coffee from the fullest container in the belief that the coffee therein is fresher. Consequently, a container of coffee which is less than half full will tend to be ignored when positioned next to a full or nearly-full container. This has been found to be true regardless of the age or quality of the coffee being offered.
In contrast to many types of coffee containers, airpot-type containers are generally opaque and the user is given no visual indication of how full the container is. In normal usage, airpot-type containers are not lifted or moved by the user, due to their pump-type serving action. In fact, airpots are sometimes housed in beverage stands which lock them into place to prevent unauthorized removal, for example, the stand shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,872. Therefore, in the usual situation, a patron can neither see the beverage inside an airpot nor lift the container to gain information about the fullness of the container. Furthermore, airpot-type containers maintain the freshness of coffee to such an extent that it is ordinarily not possible to detect the length of time coffee has been standing in the container. For all these reasons, airpot-type beverage containers do not indicate, either to the user or the coffee provider, the quantity of coffee in the container.
Despite the fact that an airpot-type beverage container does not provide a ready indication of the quantity of beverage remaining inside, such information would be useful to beverage providers. It would also be useful to provide such information to the beverage patron, in certain circumstances. Such information would permit beverage providers and patrons to keep a supply of beverage in the beverage container, allowing for maximum usage of the airpot-type beverage dispenser/container.
It would be advantageous to incorporate such a beverage quantity indicator into a beverage stand designed for use with airpot-type beverage containers so that quantity indication is provided without the necessity of moving the beverage container or otherwise inconveniencing the beverage provider.
It would also be advantageous to provide a beverage quantity indicator on a beverage stand for use with airpot-type beverage containers which provides beverage quantity information to selected locations on the beverage stand, including providing quantity indicators on both the front and back of the beverage stand.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage quantity indicator for an airpot-type beverage container, or other similar types of beverage containers, which is usable with a beverage stand and which indicates the relative quantity of beverage in the container.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a beverage quantity indicator in the form of a weight scale for weighing the container, the scale being usable with containers which dispense beverages by means of a downward-movement pump-type dispensing action. In particular, a beverage quantity indicator is provided which incorporates a movement inhibitor, which limits the downward movement of a beverage container supported on the scale, whenever downward pressure is exerted on the beverage container, such as when a customer actuates a downward-moving pump-type dispenser.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a beverage quantity indicator for use with a beverage stand on which a beverage container is supported, the beverage quantity indicator comprises a weight scale on the beverage stand for measuring the relative weight of beverage containers thereon. The scale is used to indicate the relative quantity of beverage in the beverage container.
In its preferred form, the beverage quantity indicator of the present invention includes a scale having a movable frame on which a beverage container is supported, the frame being attached to the beverage stand by means of a hinge which pivots the frame around a generally horizontal axis. A spring is functionally interposed between the arcuate-moving frame and the beverage stand. An indicator associated with the scale indicates the amount of flexure of the spring to provide an indication of the quantity of beverage in the container resting on the movable support frame of the scale. In addition, the preferred embodiment of the invention includes means for adjusting the weight range or other measuring parameters indicated by the scale.
The quantity indicator further includes a movement inhibitor for limiting the downward movement of a beverage container on the beverage stand when downward pressure is exerted on the beverage container. Such downward pressure is ordinarily exerted on the container when dispensing beverages therefrom by means of a downward-moving pump-type actuator. The movement inhibitor prevents excessive downward movement of a beverage container supported on the scale. As such, the action of a user of the pump-type dispenser will not cause excessive downward movement of the scale.